Dueling Leaks On Afghanistan

The duel of leaks frokm the Administration continues on Afghanistan.  In the latest installment, we learn that the training of Afghan security forces is difficult and behind schedule, calling into question the plausibility of McChrystal's plan:

WASHINGTON — A series of internal government reviews have presented the Obama administration with a dire portrait of Afghanistan’s military and police force, bringing into serious question an ambitious goal at the heart of the evolving American war strategy — to speed up their training and send many more Afghans to the fight.

As President Obama considers his top commander’s call to rapidly double Afghanistan’s security forces, the internal reviews, written by officials directly involved in the training program or charged with keeping it on track, describe an overstretched enterprise struggling to nurse along the poorly led, largely illiterate and often corrupt Afghan forces.

In September, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top American and allied commander in Afghanistan, recommended increasing the Afghan Army as quickly as possible — to 134,000 in a year from the current force of more than 90,000, instead of taking two years, and perhaps eventually to 240,000. He would also expand the police force to 160,000. The acceleration is vital to General McChrystal’s overall counterinsurgency plan, which also calls for more American troops but seeks more protection against the Taliban for the Afghan population than the Pentagon could ever supply.

While General McChrystal knew of the latest assessments when he wrote his plan, their completion just as President Obama considers the general’s proposal has given fresh ammunition to doubters.

“Nothing in our experience over the last seven to eight years suggests that progress at such a rapid pace is realistic,” said Representative John F. Tierney, the Massachusetts Democrat who is the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on national security.

John Tierney is the most highly placed official they could get on the record?

Making this trickier is that NATO is meant to play an important training role:

Despite the obstacles, few disagree that Afghanistan’s forces must eventually become bigger and better. And senior Pentagon and military officials insist that it can happen faster, too. But it may take 10,000 to 15,000 more trainers from the United States and NATO, which have just agreed to overhaul the training program.

Even that decision required a concession to European sensitivities: the creation of a wholly new NATO training effort to operate alongside the American forces who currently dominate the training program and who typically accompany the Afghans they train into combat. Some European governments balk at that practice.

A three-star Army general, Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, will soon take command of the new NATO training mission — and overhaul the American-led program. General Caldwell, a West Point classmate of General McChrystal, was previously in charge of the influential Army schools and training programs at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and he will command both the American and allied training headquarters.

“Our NATO allies have been an active participant in Afghanistan from the very beginning, but with this new NATO structure, we perhaps will see even more involvement by partner countries,” General Caldwell said in an interview.

Blaming Bush would be one thing, but for Obama to suggest that NATO can't perform this mission is another.

Comments

[Dark defiles.]

Hotair has the link to an interesting Asia Times article about why we pressured Abdullah into quitting. Allahpundit is doubtful, and so am I, but the story does help illuminate the Byzantine politicking.
================================

[PD]

And if blaming Bush and NATO is insufficient, there's always Karzai. It's been reported that when Obama called Karzai to congratulate him on winning the election (after Abdullah squared pulled out), he told Karzai that continued support is contingent on reducing corruption (meaning Karzai's brother has to be reformed).

So Obama can turn around and say, "Well, they didn't clean up their government to meet my conditions, obviously we can't stay there." Neat trick. Obama gets to pull out, and it's Karzai's fault rather than Obama's inability to decide what to do about the troop situation.

[Ranger]

So Obama can turn around and say, "Well, they didn't clean up their government to meet my conditions, obviously we can't stay there." Neat trick. Obama gets to pull out, and it's Karzai's fault rather than Obama's inability to decide what to do about the troop situation.

Posted by: PD | November 06, 2009 at 10:46 AM

I bet Karzai has the balls to ask Obama if he is going to hold his home town of Chicago to the same standards of clean governance.

[Don't ask me to defend that thesis, but there is something to it. Obama is displaying intolerance to multiculturalism]

In fact, it is a Western view of the culture which calls it corruption. It's the way of life there, and it is not corrupt; it is an alternative method of organizing their finances and politics.
================================

[PD]

Ranger: Right, my thought about Obama lecturing someone else about corruption was similar.

OT: Looks like we at JOM aren't the only ones with the goofy icons:

Amazon RDS

[clarice]

Ranger, you beat me to it.

[mongoose]

Why all the dithering? Why not pull the troops out, and Karzai can lease terrain to Al Qaeda for training camps, etc. for future attacks on the United States?

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

In fact, it is a Western view of the culture which calls it corruption. It's the way of life there, and it is not corrupt; it is an alternative method of organizing their finances and politics.

Very good point. The economist Gordon Tullock began his career as a lawyer with the State Dept in the mid-40s. He was in China when Mao took power, and made essentially that point in this little known book.

Which appears to be the fate of Karzai; we'll feed him to the wolves, just as we did Chiang Kai Shek...and the Shah of Iran. All in the name of anti-corruption.

[JM Hanes]

====: "In fact, it is a Western view of the culture which calls it corruption."

Civilized people call it earmarks.

"“Nothing in our experience over the last seven to eight years suggests that progress at such a rapid pace is realistic,” said Representative John F. Tierney..."

Since progress has been slow, it's unrealistic to think that more troops will speed things up. And NATO obviously doesn't want their troops consigned to training missions when they could be out there fighting al Qaeda tooth and nail.

[narciso]

LOL, J.M., I guess I shouldn't be surprised
the slavish attitude toward Hasan, We're only a few steps behind Peter's beloved Albion. Yes, Jeffrey McDonald, was a bookish serious man too, didn't stop him from slaughtering his family

[waiveguideshipping]

NATO is gone. It's funny to watch these guys debate a fair. It was all spies and Harvard pals and heeeeerrrreeesss Obamabi. I must think...............

Shootings. Not my fault. Complained officially last week and November 5 at 3 AM. Obmambi's new Gatway is a portal like on that Egyptian movie. It plays a 'connected' task. New Hope Plus! LUD

http://www.directtrafficmedia.co.uk/News/Barack_Obama_and_Bill_Gates_to_Launch_Portal_of_Hope_011352128454.html

[Neo]

The very existence of the technology, known as a "two-point implosion" device, is officially secret in both the US and Britain, but according to previously unpublished documentation in a dossier compiled by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iranian scientists may have tested high-explosive components of the design. The development was today described by nuclear experts as "breathtaking" and has added urgency to the effort to find a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis.
That Nov 2007 NIE looks worse and worse.

[Frau Roggenbrot]

Last month, the STRATFOR report told of a French particle physicist who radicalized *himself* by frequenting online jihadist sites. France is not hampered by an ACLU and went after the man, Adlene Hicheur, accusing him of helping al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) plan terrorist attacks in France.

[matt]

Abdullah thought he had the upper hand as the newspapers and his PR/lobbyists in DC fed him the line that he was indispensible. This is the exact same feeling Karzai has had for some time.

The Very Important Senator from Massachusetts helped set up the fiasco by pushing for early elections, which was never realistic or wise. It was all a facade from the outset to give Obama a fig leaf.

For a moment, Abdullah thought he had Karzai over the barrel and ended up pushing too hard. Chicago Politics 101. Except along the way he played his ace and lost.

So were back to the same ole narrative and it's Afghanistan Held Hostage: Day 69

[bad]

The Very Important Senator from Massachusetts

That reminds me of PUK riffing on various DC idiots and their Very Important Hair.

Mr. Plame and John effn Kerry come to mind at the moment.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

A little bit different topic but a running one. Here's a paper announcing that Subprime loans disproportionately located in segregated areas.

Gee, I wonder why?

Could it be because the government programs were specifically intended to favor minority, inner-city areas?

[Charlie (Colorado)]

OT: Looks like we at JOM aren't the only ones with the goofy icons:

Notice that that's also a typepad blog.

[matt]

speaking of Afghan corruption, Mr. President, how's that investigation into your campaign finances coming along? LUN

[daddy]

Haven't read any comments yet today, so excuse me if I'm redoing something that's already been mentioned, but yesterday in his speech to the Indians Obama gave a shout out to :"Dr. Joe Medicine Crow -- that Congressional Medal of Honor winner."

I have no reason to think that Dr Joe is anything less than an outstanding individual and I certainly don't want to take anything away from him, buthttp://newsbusters.org/blogs/mike-bates/2009/11/06/obama-gives-shout-out-congressional-medal-honor-winner-who-isnt "> this tells us that Dr Joe Medicine "Crow's name is not included on the Society's Medal of Honor recipient list. He was, however, awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in August."

If so, how does our President, our CIC, continually make such stupid mistakes about such basic, easily discoverable stuff?Is it simply laziness or do they just not give a darn? Where are the staffers who ought to be protecting him from such self-initiated gaffe's? Has any Media person put a microphone in Dr Joe's or Gibb's face to get clarification of his awards or an answer about the Administrations apparent fumbling of such stuff?

If this is true, then I'm almost as angry at Obama and his staff for this horrendous ignorance, as I am about the totally inappropriate tone of his speech during this massacre of US troops.

[bgates]

Charlie, yesterday you claimed that the man who committed the mass murder in the cafeteria in Killeen was a Christian. Do you recall where you learned that?

[clarice]

The LSAT's don't measure that kind of stuff, daddy.

[glasater]

OT and re-posting from a previous thread:

OK JOM friends--Verner has up a post on the Peter Bocking Facebook page a way to contribute to the roses she will have sent to his Memorial.
If you contact Verner via that Facebook page she will send you her email address and anyone with a PayPa account can send money through that venue. It is so easy to do....so overcome any relunctance to deal with Facebook and let's help Verner out.
She deserves our support!!

[narciso]

He was a low down varmint, lower than a rattlesnake at high noon, is that about the gist of it.

[narciso]

That's what I think of the shooter at Luby's

[Frau Überraschung!]

From Owen's local newspaper and narciso's link:
"Many feel that it was unlikely Mr. Owens would have won those crucial few thousand votes if the voting public was aware of his intent with regard to the Health Care bill. The majority of residents in this district do not support the Health Reform bill as it is now written and many feel like they've become victims of a fraud perpetrated by their chosen candidate."

[bad]

"... many feel like they've become victims of a fraud perpetrated by their chosen candidate."

Well, it worked for presidebt doofus. Owens went for a winning strategy.

[Frau Überraschung!]

Do I have to register on Facebook to reach verner? I failed to find a link at the site.

[JM Hanes]

glasater:

Is there a link to Verner's facebook page somewhere?

[clarice]

You don't have to register..Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=324486900360&ref=nf

Jennifer's arranged a floral tribute for the wake and we are considering some system to buy a round for the house.
Elliott's going to try to attend it.

[glasater]

Thanks Clarice....

It's once again at LUN:)

[Charlie (Colorado)]

If so, how does our President, our CIC, continually make such stupid mistakes about such basic, easily discoverable stuff?

Hell, he'd just awarded the PMOF to Chief Joe minutes before.

It was just a mental slip. Of course, had it been Bush, we'd have heard two days of psychiatric testimony about his mental deficiencies.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Charlie, yesterday you claimed that the man who committed the mass murder in the cafeteria in Killeen was a Christian. Do you recall where you learned that?

White guy, small town in Texas, none of the stories about him mentioned anything else.

[matt]

the Chicago NBC affilliate really chewed Obama out about his execrable performance in that speech and utter insensitivity to the massacre at Hood.

I really do believe the man has something deeply disturbing in his character.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

He was a low down varmint, lower than a rattlesnake at high noon, is that about the gist of it.

Um, just as a little technical point, rattlers are about the same altitude no matter what time it is. I suspect the idiom you wanted was "low enough he could walk under a rattlesnake and not take off his hat."

[Porchlight]

White guy, small town in Texas, none of the stories about him mentioned anything else.

Seriously? That's it? And you're lecturing people here not to jump to conclusions about Hasan's motivations? Come on, Charlie.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

I really do believe the man has something deeply disturbing in his character.

It almost looks like a borderline personality disorder sometimes. Probably a mix with narcissistic.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Seriously? That's it? And you're lecturing people here not to jump to conclusions about Hasan's motivations? Come on, Charlie.

What do you suppose the probability he was a Zoroastrian really was?

Don't be an idiot.

[Sue]

I suspect the idiom you wanted was

And everyone bows to your wisdom on idioms.

[Porchlight]

Ridiculous, Charlie. He could have been an atheist. He could have been raised as pretty much nothing, but with a generally Christian background, as in, his grandparents used to go to church way back when or something but his parents couldn't care less. I know lots of people like that.

Regardless, the relevant question is, did he explicitly kill in the name of Christ as our friend in Ft. Hood allegedly killed in the name of Allah?

Because if he didn't, any attempt at equivalence is worthless. Why don't you marshal a little evidence next time you want to draw comparisons, as you so often tell others to do.

I expect better from you.

[clarice]

If we're going to have a repeat of last night, I'm polishing those pistolas. I hate to do it and you know with my bad aim lots of innocents stand to be kilt(in the words of our brilliant presidebt) or injured.
Go to your respective corners you all and simmer down. I'm still sobbing over PUK and another funeral--esp one I'd be responsible for--would be more than I can bear just now.

[justonebullet]

It's getting bizarre. A guy from Chicago making a stand against corruption and while the White House is being used to churn money. Bill Clinton is a saint when compared with this new boy.

[Porchlight]

I'm done, clarice, I promise. Hope y'all have a great night....

[Frau Dummkopf]

Sorry, to be so dense. I've been to the Facebook page several times now and cannot see how to send Jennifer a "Facebook email" or a yahoo one.

[DEtrcikortreat]

Clarice, we know that the murderous terrorist Moslem was followed on the web for 6 months because of his threats to Americans like yours; so I'm going to close comments to you, for you, and check all your email adressess and IPs, etc. so no one gets a hold of them.

I'll set up a lunch for you and fat boy chuckie.

[verner]

Hey Frau. Just send me an e-mail at jennifer.verner (at)yahoo.com and I'll tell you how to send your contribution.

I just don't want too much stuff placed permanently in the ether if you get my drift.

[caro]

Frau, on the left side where there are pics of the friends, click on verner to go to her page. Then on the left is a "send Jennifer a message" click. Just write to her there.

[daddy]

Hit earlier linked to Miss Manchester UK getting in a bar-room brawl with Miss England (not in The Nursery Inn thankfully) and as a result Miss UK bailing out of The Miss World Contest.

So my tendency is that when any of P'UK's girlfriends; Clarice, Miss Manchester (aka Miss">http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=92029530&albumId=1235381">Miss Bykerbabe 2008), etc, ask us to chill, I'm taking that advice.

[matt]

"Allahu Akhbar" in the context of Ft. Hood is a perfectly ideological statement. The scumbag was performing jihad. It has been a war cry for Muslim zealots for 1400 Years or so.

[Frau Dummkopf]

Thanks, verner and caro. I just wrote verner and hope to get in on the action for our **Special Guy**. I guess PUK was used to groupies, come to think of it.

[daddy]

And thanks to whoever linked that story about The top Ecclesiastic of the Church Of England having to explain how the Church's Pension Funds were flushed down the toilet in gambling on the stock market. Would love to have heard P'UK's comments on that, but the image that comes to my mind is The ArchBishop of Canterbury blowing on the dice and mumbling, "Baby needs a new set of mitre's."

[Frau Dummkopf]

Anyone not getting the connection failed third grade recess, matt. The man was filmed in Muslim dress-up shopping at the convenience store. And it wasn't Halloween! The weapons he used were not required for his medical duties. Where did he get them?
Initially, I was glad when I thought he was dead. Now I would like him to live, be tried by a military court and executed. But let's not jump to conclusions.

[verner]

Yeah Frau--probably why PUK never told us about being a guitar man, cause he knew all the women of JOM would want to be his backstage groupies!!!!

God I loved that man!

[centralcal]

Me too, Frau. (I am sorry, I simply cannot address you as "Dummkopf now or ever).

Clarice, I respect you (maybe above all others) and many of the regular commenters here. But, sometimes, we have to tell our friends when they are out of line. No one could do it better than PUK. Alas, I am not as mentally quick as him.

There is no reason - EVER - to be a jerk to friend.

[bgates]

White guy, small town in Texas

How do you know he was white? Did he have a pale complexion and a thoroughly Anglo-American name like "Charlie Martin"?

[centralcal]

God I loved that man!

LOL, verner! Peter Bocking never had a clue how many "groupies" he had. I am proud to say that I was one.

[BR]

OT - Ohio's Jim Traficant is free! And coming out with both guns blazing! YouTube. He's even speaking at tea parties.

Remember him? The one who was so outspoken against Hillary's crimes, who knew too much about her skeletons, who got framed on "renovation" charges, just like the snakes are trying to do to Bernard Kerik.

[Sue]

How do you know he was white?

Well, duh! All Luby's killers are white. And all white killers in Texas are from small towns and it is known throughout the State of Texas that if you are white and in a small town you are a Christian. See? Every white person should move to a small town in Texas and you get automatic entry into heaven.

It has been too many years for me to remember all of the details of that killing, but what I do remember is he was pining for a girlfriend. So maybe our Ft. Hood killer and the Luby's killer really do have something in common. Women know to stay away from them.

[Captain Hate]

I wouldn't trust Traficant too much; he came out of the Mahoning Valley machine from Youngstown so squeaky clean he ain't. He's good for an entertaining sound byte here and there but having him aligned with the tea parties won't work out in their favor.

[centralcal]

Sue, you go girl!

[bgates]

Women know to stay away from them.

Not true. Sargeant Munley got pretty close.

Incidentally, I was surprised to learn this evening that Lee Harvey Oswald was a faithful, devout, church-going Christian (white guy, in Texas, no newspaper accounts mention Zoroastrian beliefs). At least I think so - hey, Sue, was Fort Worth still small enough in 1963 to Christianize all the white people?

[See? Religion is easy.]

Well, since Zoroastrianism is the one true faith, both of those shooters were Zoroastrian, though they might have been in denial about.
==============================

[Sue]

Not true. Sargeant Munley got pretty close

That she did.

I don't think Ft. Worth would have qualified as small town Texas in 1963. You will have to do further research on this Oswald person to determine if he was a white Christian. He doesn't appear to qualify for automatic entry into heaven.

[bgates]

I was just looking around online for news about the new "V", and I discovered that the star of the original "V", Marc Singer - tv's "The Beastmaster" and an obvious white guy - has a Wikipedia page that does not claim he is a devotee of the Norse pagan gods, and he was raised in Corpus Christi.

Which proves to my satisfaction that he's the Pope.

And if you disagree I will call you a stupid head. Because I hate, hate, hate, hate (,hate) bigotry! Especially from you Jesus cannibals.

[narciso]

I was reminded of LHO, because Steyn
mentioned how in the old days, Soviet agents
had to have a local contact in a neighboring
city, whereas jihadi agents set up their own
recruitment

[Jim Rhoads a/k/a vjnjagvet]

Well I see JT has his piece back on, CH. It sure looks like a nest. He must be getting ready to run again. LOL

Youngstown is a tough place. Home to a lot of great football coaches as well as tough pols. Bob Stoops and Bo Pelini are fighting it out tomorrow in Lincoln. Although Stoops is 7 years older they were best friends in Youngstown and played at the same HS team coached by Stoops' dad. Now they are head coaches of long-time rivals Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Go Huskers.

[1hdrs]

The original V chick was MURDERED. Perfection. Dead.

[bgates]

You will have to do further research on this Oswald person to determine if he was a white Christian.

Um, he was a murderer, wasn't he?

Case closed.

[Sue]

Um, he was a murderer, wasn't he?

Um, he could have been a patsy. He said he was. Keep searching.

[bgates]

The original V chick was MURDERED.

Quick - get a search warrant for all churches in the area!

(PS - all of the original V chicks are still alive.)

[Captain Hate]

Well I see JT has his piece back on, CH. It sure looks like a nest. He must be getting ready to run again. LOL

OMG, that piece looks like a possum roadkill combed with an eggbeater. In JT's defense, he's preferable to that perv dwarf Kuncinich (who shilled against Issue 6 to reform county government which passed overwhelmingly; suck it punk) although that's setting the bar as low as possible.

Just a bit to the north of Youngstown is Ashtabula, home of Urban Meyer.

[narciso]

I know what he means I think, Dominique Dunne, was scheduled to do the part of
the teenager with the alien baby, but she
was murdered by that fellow before that, after she did Poltergeist. It's interesting
twenty five years ago, you could have a reporter as the hero in a science fiction series, the media's cache was such. You really can't pull off that stunt today.

[bgates]

I'm stumped, Sue. All this time I bought into the official story that Oswald was both white and a murderer (from which it logically follows that he was Christian). But I tried looking up "assassinating Kennedy" in "Stuff White People Like", and it's not in there.

On the other hand - what if he wasn't saying "I'm a patsy", but instead, "I'm not fat - see"?

In other words, "As a Christian I am also a cannibal, so if I had murdered Kennedy I would have eaten him; thus, my svelte frame is proof of my innocence."

But that would mean Oswald was white, a Christian, and living in Texas -

-yet had not murdered anybody.

Clearly implausible. I'll have to work on this more later. Good night.

[Sue]

bgates,

::grin:: You're good. Very good.

[matt]

The new congressman from New York was sworn in at noon today and has already broken 4 of his campaign promises on the health care bill....

Are there any Democrats with integrity left?

[Melinda Romanoff]

matt-

Why are you trying to use those two words in the same sentence? Oil and Water, " I promise I won't ...", and the capper, Integrity and Democrat. That ended with Truman.

[Melinda Romanoff]

And someone not here would've liked this LUN.

Red Garland (John Coltrane's pianist) with "A Foggy Day In London Town" (great bass solo)

[Jim Ryan]

Okay, Mel, as a bassist of 30 years, i should be able to figure out who it is by listening...don't tell me!

[Jim Ryan]

Ga! The sample doesn't get as far as the bass solo.

[narciso]

"that word you are using, doesn't mean what you think it does" I guess Ann Althouse's instincts about Owens, being a country sort
of guy, were off again.

[Jim Ryan]

Paul Chambers! I knew it. He and Scott LaFaro are my two heroes.

[jimmyk]

OT, but then every post in this thread has been. In case anyone missed this item on one of the Ft. Hood Victims:

Sgt. Amy Krueger

Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis., joined the Army after the 2001 terrorist attacks and had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden, her mother, Jeri Krueger said.

Amy Krueger arrived at Fort Hood on Tuesday and was scheduled to be sent to Afghanistan in December, the mother told the Herald Times Reporter of Manitowoc.

Jeri Krueger recalled telling her daughter that she could not take on bin Laden by herself.

"Watch me," her daughter replied.

How do you make up for the loss of someone like that?

[Jim Ryan]

Listening to the whole track now, Mel.

[Jim Rhoads a/k/a vjnjagvet]

I grew up in Erie, CH. Less than 50 miles from Ashtabula, and about 70 miles from Youngstown (as the crow files). Erie is a little cleaner than Youngstown politically, but didn't used to be.

[Captain Hate]

JR I went up to Erie's jazz fest a couple summers ago because they had a group I was interested in seeing. Through the art museum they tend to bring in better improv groups with more regularity than Cleveland and it's not a bad trip. The jazz fest was in a nice little park and everybody was friendly; I had a good time and it was an easy day trip to and from.

Every October Mrs Hate and I take a trip to Albion for a beef roast that the Catholic church in town has. I started doing it (apologies if I've told this story before; I'm at the age when I'm starting to repeat things...)in the mid-80s when I took the young Hatettes for a camping trip in Allegheny Natl Forest to give Mrs H a break plus it was a good father/daughter thing to do. It was an early October weekend and we had a great time although it was as cold as an ex-wife's heart overnight but the kids did great in their Smurf sleeping bags. Anyway when I was driving home the next day (Sunday) I was driving along 6N and wanting to find some place that the kids would enjoy eating at but all I was seeing were fast food joints and bars. I was getting close to 90 and worried that I'd have to settle on Stuckeys when all of a sudden it was manna from heaven: St. Lawrence Catholic Church's annual beef roast. It was cheap and everything was served family style so it was perfect. The following year I got a post card notifying of it from filling out a door prize card. We thought WTF and for a while it was something the Hatettes and I did together; eventually we let Mrs Hate join in and it's been an annual tradition for us empty nesters. The funny thing is that since it's a slice of small town Americana, we've become friendly with some people there (everybody is fascinated that we drive so far; plus a lot of people come from Erie which is why I brought this up in the first place)and have witnessed families changing through time. If I ever moved out of the area I'd really miss it.

[PD]

Katy Perry's boyfriend is Russell Brand? Huh. So *that's* what "I Kissed a Girl" was all about.

[Frau Taschentuch]

That's a lump-in-the-throat account of Sgt. Amy Krueger of Wisconsin. Who wouldn't be proud of a child like that?

[PD]

Hannity had Traficant on a few weeks back. He seemed like a very mixed bag to me. His views on Israel were of the "they have all our politicians in their pocket" flavor.

[PD]

The development was today described by nuclear experts as "breathtaking" and has added urgency to the effort to find a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis.

Yeah. If our strong words so far are insufficiently forceful, they're in danger of us speaking even more strongly than before. And if that doesn't work, we'll have even more nations sign our earnest statements of intent. And if that doesn't work, we'll offer you humanitarian aid so that you can devote less of your GDP to caring for your people and can instead focus your resources even more closely on your weapons programs.

Sorry. Been reading Codevilla today (thanks, narciso), after which the vacuousness of all-diplomacy talk is especially evident.

[narciso]

That was Sheriff Joe's brilliant plan after 9/11 give the Iranians 200 million, where did you read Codevilla recently.

[PD]

bgates,

I see I'm not the only one to remember the communion/cannibal thing.

[PD]

where did you read Codevilla recently

Wasn't it you who mentioned him a few months ago? If not, thanks to whoever it was.

[Jim Rhoads a/k/a vjnjagvet]

Was it called Ox Roast, CH? That's a big deal in Erie County. Catholic churches all over the county raise $$ by holding Ox Roast dinners at various times during the year. Erie County is the only midwestern county in Pennsylvania. Its culture is not quite the same as the rest of the state.

I went to summer camp at Camp Sherwin (the Y camp) and Camp Sequoyah (the Boy Scout camp) both of which are on the lake just north of Albion. Sequoyah is now Camp Fitch, the Y camp serving Youngstown.

Small world, huh?

[Frau Hochachtung]

How about a giant shout out?
From a TX newspaper:
The Army police officer Kimberly Munley, whose bullets stopped suspected Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, completed 80 hours of firearms training in September at Texas A&M University's Texas Engineering Extension Service, also known as TEEX. The classes certified her as a firearms instructor.
Munley, a member of the U.S. Army's civilian police force at Fort Hood, successfully completed advanced rapid response training at TEEX in 2008.
"They were all good students," said Lee Santo, TEEX's training manager. "It's a top-notch, professional agency and the people they sent through the agency are very professional, Kim being one of them."
At 5-foot-2, Santo agreed that Munley is petite, but skilled when it comes to handling a weapon.
"She is very proficient," Santo said. "She's a hero. She ran into gunfire and stopped the bad guy."
Munley and her partner took just three minutes to arrive at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center after reports of a shooter on base. She has been credited to be the first to shoot at Maj. Nadal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist identified as the shooter, when she encountered him coming around a corner. She was shot at least three times.

[Horchachtung.]

Hear! Hear! Hark!
============

[BR]

I marinated my chicken in wine too long, methinks - I'm cooking purple chicken. Is this what coq au vin is supposed to look like? Smells great, though.

[Our Peter, who smelt in Heaven, agrees.]

Why did the chicken cross the road. To get the Chinese newspaper. Do you get it? Neither do I. Neither did the chicken. That's why he crossed the road.
======================================

[BR]

Oh my god, you're still up? And you remember!

[daddy]

Speaking of Chinese cocks:

Last night Manuel Transmission asked for any tips for interesting restaurants in Beijing. Anybody had a chance to sample the menu at">http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/holiday_type/food_and_travel/article3552377.ece"> this place?

[BR]

All I know is in Tahiti the cocks crowed all day long. Wish I were there now, having a midnight swim.

[daddy]

Well BR,

I've seen 'em eating cock-roaches in Bangkok before (actually grasshoppers or locusts I think, fried up in a big skillet on a street corner) but the biggest I ever saw was in a Beach House on Kauai when the wife came in screaming from the bathroom at 2 AM, and I had to use a rolled up People Magazine to stun it, before I squished it with my Teva's. She had the willy's all night.
I remember it well, as it was the issue that announced: "Ben And J-LO are History!!!"

Ah, how time flies.